Seals of various types and shapes have been employed to prevent fluid from escaping from a joint along a fluid flow path or in a fluid receptacle. Joints in the flow path or in a container are of course formed whenever two or more members or components are brought together to form a continuous conduit or a fluid receptacle. One common type of seal is a ring seal which is employed between members or components along the flow path, thus preventing fluid from escaping between the two members. These two members or components often have grooves or counterbores formed therein to receive the ring seal and to form a seal gland.
These ring seals are resilient due to their material and their geometric shape so that the ring seal fills the gap between the adjacent members or components defining the flow path. The desired result is that the ring seal will firmly abut both members or components at all points along the seal so that the gap is completely blocked by the ring seal.
These ring seals can be installed in a variety of ways between the pair of members. The most common method is to merely place the ring seal in the groove or counterbore which forms the seal gland. However, in this method, the seal often moves or shifts during assembly of the two parts. Moreover, it is often difficult in certain applications to assemble the two parts together without the seal falling out of position. This causes the seal to be contaminated or damaged during installation.
It is also known that it is possible to use retainer plates for holding a seal in place to assist in the assembly. One example of a retainer plate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,572 to Taylor et al. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the Taylor et al. patent, the ring seals are retained in openings of the retainer plate by a split wire ring which fits in a groove of the retainer plate and engages the outer surface of the ring seal. Also, the retainer plate of the Taylor et al. patent has holes for receiving bolts to secure the retainer plate to the members or components being coupled together.
While the retainer plate of the Taylor et al. patent is useful in certain applications, it may require special tooling to be used in certain circumstances. In particular, the retainer plate of the Taylor et al. patent is designed to be used with a pair of members or components which do not include a counterbore or groove for receiving the ring seal. Rather, the retainer plate of the Taylor et al. patent must have a thickness which permits the proper amount of inward deflection of the ring seal to insure proper sealing. Moreover, the retainer plate of the Taylor et al. patent is a multi-part retainer plate which can be more costly to manufacture.
Retainer plates are also known which, to retain the ring seals in place, utilize a friction type fit. For example, a retainer plate could be provided with a circular opening and the ring seal could be made slightly elliptical such that the ring seal is elastically deformed during insertion of the seal into the circular opening. One drawback of this type of retainer plate and seal assembly is that the ring seal typically must have a large diameter such that the elliptical shape can be easily deformed for insertion into the round opening of the retainer plate. Another drawback of this type of retainer plate and seal assembly is that it requires deformation of the seal which can result in the seal being contaminated or damaged during installation. Moreover, this type of retainer plate typically requires a substantially rigid plate with a substantial thickness such that the seal cannot be used with mating members or components having counterbores.
In view of the above, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that there exists a need in the art for a seal retainer which can be used with a pair of mating members or components with at least one of the members or components having a counterbore for receiving the ring seal. Moreover, there exists a need for an inexpensive seal retainer which can be relatively easily manufactured and installed. Moreover, there further exists a need for a seal retainer which permits seals to be installed between a pair of mating members or components without contact by hands or tools which could contaminate or damage the seal or seals. This invention addresses these needs in the art, as well as other needs which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.